Andrew Mowen

Andrew Mowen

Renovating public parks enhances visitor behaviors and experiences, according to researchers at Penn State, who note that although the outcomes may seem obvious, funders of such improvement projects are requiring more scientific evidence that demonstrates the impact of such financial investments.

Called upon by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, faculty in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management and other departments at Penn State coordinated a number of surveys, discussion groups and analyses that informed a federally mandated plan to increase and improve outdoor recreation opportunities across the state.

Two members of the Penn State faculty and one alumna have been selected to assist with the development of the first U.S. National Physical Activity Plan. Andrew J. Mowen, associate professor of recreation, park, and tourism management (RPTM); Birgitta Baker, assistant professor of kinesiology at Louisiana State University and graduate of the RPTM doctoral program; and Allison Topper, senior instructor in public health sciences and pediatrics in the Penn State College of Medicine, will provide background research that will inform the plan.

The recommendations of Mowen and Baker were debated and discussed during the National Physical Activity Plan Conference on July 1 and 2.

When community leaders brainstorm ways to improve the health and well-being of youth and families, a team usually brings together doctors and health care professionals, hospitals, public health organizations and schools. But recreation and park agencies are another key player in the fight against childhood obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and chronic diseases says a new report.